scottRDX

Hey everyone, I ordered a leather covered shift knob and took some before and after pics. Definately a worthwhile upgrade imo. Thank-you Sasair for posting the directions for the install, they came in very handy.

Leather covered shift knob and parts:


Before pic of plastic shift knob:


Halfway done, plastic shift knob removed:


And, here is the new leather covered shift knob:

mau108

honestly I can't tell the difference (well ya there is some but nothing drastic) to drop that 100 some odd bucks for it.

johnny99

The leather knob has stitching on it. I agree with you about the $100, though. That might make sense with a manual transmission since you are shifting all the time and many people like to rest their right hand on top of the stick shift. With an automatic, however, my hand is on the shifter less than 1 minute per day.

VeNeNo

iTrader: (1)

It doesn't make a huge differnce but it is a beautiful addition to the interior of the RDX. When I change the gear from P to R or D to S, I feel the leather stitching in my palm; almost like a baseball but smaller and blacker. I love mine and would order it again if I got a new RDX.

Lrpba300

Well, aside from all the banter about if it's worth it or not, nice post job Scott. I'm not sure it's worth $100, but a nice post!

neo1738

my dealer just installs them on all their rdx's

scottRDX

Hey, thanks for the words of encouragement! FWIW, I paid $80.00 for it, and to me it was worth it. It's just as much the feel as it is the look of the leather shift knob. Thanks for looking guys.

buxtons

I think this falls under the, it is worth it to the guy that bought it. There are plenty of mods out there that I dont think are worth it but others do. Looks good

Morehp

I like the look and the feel. Just MHO but that's what its about, personal taste.

Acura604

i gonna get one also.. plastic stock one looks and feels cheap.. leather is the way to go! but damn do i miss my tsx 6spd shifter!!!

mav238

Yeah, the leather shift knob is one of those things, where, if you find the factory knob to be bothering you, then change it.

I personally find that, the factory one looks decent enough not to bother with getting a leather one. The thing about the leather knob is that over time, it gets "shiny", due to the skin oils and sweat that gets trapped in it. Like leather seats, it will need proper TLC to keep it looking new.

It's one of those options where if you feel it makes your driving the RDX more satisfying, then get it.

Acura604

mine will arrive in a few days. but yeesh.. $45k cdn car and they couldn't include that as standard? hehe.

Acura604

just installed it myself.. took 10minutes. easy as heck..and feels great.

scottRDX

Good job Acura604! It looks and feels really cool doesn't it? I miss driving a manual too.

Acura604

i agree.. i know alot of us just use it to shift and that's it.. but coming from having 5 cars previously all with manual trans. i have this habit of resting my hand on the shifter..soo yah..gotta feel goood!

FYI for all you Canadians.. i ordered the knobby from Acura of Peoria ..cost me a total of $103 after shipping.. no duties or taxes charged at all upon pickup from postal office depot. Tracking was great via USPS!

Dai

I'm thinking of getting one of these, since the knob feels so cheap....i used to have a TL before this and I miss the leather shifter!!

r7cgb

It looks good to me I had the dealer here in San Diego Acura Dealer installed it for me.

r7cgb

Is there anybody knows if there is an after market wood paneling beside the one on the e-store.

bobq

There are a number of them.

While I have the OEM wood trim, I went looking for something better, but have not changed anything yet.

Here is one from www.exoticwooddash.com

sl_33

I got the leather knob.....I guess I paid for it one way or another but it was part of the accessory package I had the dealer throw in when I purchased the car.

Like most of the other accessories, it's totally based on the preference of the owner but I really like the look and feel of the leather knob. The stock knob just felt kind of plastic and cheap....even if I only touch the thing for a few seconds twice a day.

Thanks for the link to the wood trim site......I think that looks pretty cool. Might have to consider something like that myself.

TapOut

How the HELL do you squeeze the boot to push it down?

Instructions say to squeeze the sides of the shifter and push down so you can get to the screws, but I can't find anything to push under the leather boot to allow it to slide down???

Did something change in the instructions between 07-08, or am I just being a retard?? Help please!

Pluto

TapOut - I had the same problem so I called the service department and was told to grasp the boot next to the metal ring and yank down hard. I followed this advice and it worked for me. When installing the plastic retaining clip be careful of the placement of the plastic prongs; they bend easily. I hope this helps.

Pluto

TapOut

Thanks....I actually figured it out right after posting my question. I got frustrated and just pushed hard and pulled down and it worked like a charm. After you do it once, it's actually very easy and doesn't take much effort at all.

Another warning to others doing this mod....BE CAREFUL tightening the screws!! I tightened the bottom screw too much and cracked part of the plastic tube.

Anyway....when finished and done, this is an ABSOLUTE MUST do mod. The stock shifter feels like $H!T and doesn't match anything else in the interior. For the life of me I can't figure out why the leather shifter didn't come stock with the car.

chipmunk

Does the bottom plastic piece come off as well when the shift knob is taken off?

jamezckf

Are you referring the bottom plastic piece as the plastic above the chrome ring? If you look at the installation direction, you would see exactly what will be removed. Basically, the plastic above the chrome ring, chrome ring, and the leather all falls off to reveal the screw; then you just have to unscrew and install the new shift knob in. Simple stuff!!

Make sure you know where to push though, don't hurt your fingers

I just changed the leather shift knob yesterday. Feels good and looks better; althought I was expecting the shift knob to be more bally. It also looks and feels bigger than the OEM one.

Personally, you would love the upgrade if you like to hold onto the shift knob while you are driving

chipmunk

The reason I asked was because I wanted to install a different shift knob on it, not the RDX one. The new RL shift knob looks really nice...